How to Avoid an Awkward Moments and Silence on a Date

First dates are always going to be challenging as you haven’t been able to build a rapport or learn enough about the singles you’re dating that’ll help conversation flow. Many singles tend to have an awkward date within the first hour and if they’re putting too much pressure on themselves to be entertaining, funny and intelligent. However, there are ways and means that’ll enable you to avoid the awkward first date issue and make the most of your time with that single. After all, it is incredibly important to create the right first impression as you never know where your relationship could lead after the first date.

How to Not be Awkward on a Date

Perhaps you’re a naturally socially awkward person or it simply is the first date nerves getting to you. Evidently, everybody worries about first date nerves and can’t help but play out the worst-case scenario, but there are things you can do to avoid creating awkward situations when you’re out on a date.

Relax

This is the biggest contributing factor to ensuring that you’re not making your date awkward. The person you’re dating will be able to sense if you’re nervous or uptight which only makes the situation worse. To combat tension in a first date, simply imagine that the person you’re talking to is your friend. Obviously, you want to avoid certain topics perhaps, such as exes, but treat them as a friend and you’ll soon feel yourself becoming more comfortable and able to speak freely.

Ask Questions

The person who tends to not open-up the conversation tends to be the one who makes the date awkward too. You need to be able to continue the conversation on and engage with what the other person is saying, otherwise it becomes incredibly clear that you’re, at least slightly, socially inept. You should be intrigued by your date and interested enough in what they’re saying to keep the ball rolling.

Keep it Simple

If you’re naturally a nervous person when it comes to dating, then keep your first date simple. Arrange to meet for coffee instead of dinner, so that you can keep the pressure to a minimum. Furthermore, if the date isn’t going well, then you don’t have to sit through a meal before you have the chance to break off the meet-up. Plus, if the date is going well, then you can always spend more time with your date and see where it leads.

How to Avoid Awkward Silences on a Date

So, perhaps you have done everything right; kept yourself relaxed, kept the date simple and engaged with their conversation but you still end-up with awkward silences. This isn’t detrimental to your date but knowing how to avoid awkward silences will help keep the date interesting and make you more appealing to the person you’re with.

Ask More Open-Ended Questions

Sometimes, simply asking questions isn’t enough as it denotes a short answer, so if you want to avoid awkward silences, then you must make the question more open. Instead of simply asking them what they do for a living, ask them what they enjoy about their job or if they would change anything about it. By doing this, you’re creating an environment that is conductive to conversation and can lead off into many different directions. Furthermore, you’ll be able to learn more about your date than what is purely on the surface.

Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Your Passions

Some singles will hold back on a first date regarding their hobbies and interests as it can seem unappealing, but this can lead to creating awkward silences. You’re more likely to speak at length and in an interesting manner when you’re discussing something you’re really interested in. Perhaps your date doesn’t like D&D or isn’t a sporty person, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t open yourself up and talk about the aspects of your life that are important to you.

Be Present

People can always tell when you’re aren’t genuinely listening or don’t care about what they’re saying. When they realise, they’ll end-up finishing what they were saying and won’t continue with the conversation as it doesn’t seem worth it. So, if you want to avoid awkward first dates, then put in the effort and engage with the person you’re with.

How to Deal with an Awkward Moment

So, perhaps you haven’t had any awkward silences, but something incredibly embarrassing happened and you want to resolve the situation, so you can continue your date. There are a few ways to deal with these situations which include:

Turn it Into a Joke

If the moment wasn’t too awkward, then make light of it. By showing that you’re not easily embarrassed and can take things on the chin, you’re telling your date that you’re relaxed with them and are still ready to have an enjoyable date with them.

Move Past It

Don’t let the awkward moment keep replaying in your mind as it’ll make you less present at your date and less inclined to converse with your potential partner. Put it to the back of your mind and continue to engage and interact honestly with the person you’re dating.

Don’t Keep Bringing it Up

Even if you turned it into a joke, there is no reason to mention the awkward moment as it’ll just dampen the date. Put it to the back of your mind and pretend it never happened.

Undoubtedly, dating is difficult but anything worthwhile always is. You’re going to have awkward moments or silences, but it is how you deal with these moments that’ll change the outcome of the date. If you can’t move past it, then you’re going to create a terrible date and they may not want to see you again. However, if you can keep yourself relaxed and understand that these things happen, then you’re more likely to be able to engage effectively and create a memorable date that could lead to bigger and better things on the horizon.

Find out more about your date by joining the online dating site.
Meet like-minded singles and avoid awkward moments!